


Not Met You Yet

by keys2thebimma



Category: 2PM (Band), Hip Hop RPF, Jay Park (Musician), K-pop, Nicki Minaj (Musician), Show Me the Money (Korea TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Crush at First Sight, F/M, Fluff, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-16 00:16:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5805841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keys2thebimma/pseuds/keys2thebimma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jay first lays eyes on her during his shift at the deli. She makes eye contact with Jay as ChaCha composes her sandwich – turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo on rye – and she flashes him a smile. The smile is dazzling, showing off the dimples at full blast. Jay falls a little bit in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Met You Yet

Jay first sees her at the deli. It’s a Tuesday; and he usually only works on the weekends because he has classes during the week, but Loco asks him to cover his shift because he is still shit-faced from a party the night before. So Jay agrees to work on Tuesday and that’s where he first sees her. She’s quite tiny, but curved in all the right places – not that Jay was looking! Her eyes are wide and bright, and when she talks her dimples show. She’s wearing a neon pink beanie and her foot taps absentmindedly as she waits in line. She makes eye contact with Jay as ChaCha composes her sandwich – turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo on rye – and she flashes him a smile. The smile is dazzling, showing off the dimples at full blast. Jay falls a little bit in love. 

*

From that day, Jay seems to spot the girl from the deli everywhere. Browsing the shelves in the campus library, carefully selecting fruit in the shop near Jay’s dorm, doing squats in the gym as Jay walked to the locker room (Jay admits he was looking that time), and walking across the quad towards the bus stop. Hell, Jay had even seen her checking her phone at the back of his History of Electronic Dance Music lecture. 

Jay can’t help but smile when he overhears the deli girl spit a short verse to herself when the teacher plays a clip over the speakers. She looks up and catches him looking her way, so he nervously gives her a thumbs-up. She smiles, giving Jay another sighting of those cute dimples and waggles her fingers at him.

That’s an opening in Jay’s book. 

*

Now Jay hasn't actually ‘said’ anything to Deli Girl (he still doesn’t know her name) so far, something Gray consistently teases him for. So for now, he waves, smiles and gives a thumbs-up whenever he sees her. She reciprocates, which is enough for Jay at the moment. One day, he is sitting by himself in one of the campus cafés. He jumps when someone taps on the window next to him and he is surprised to see Deli Girl on the other side of the glass. She gives him another blinding smile and a wave, and then rushes off when her friend pulls her away. Jay doesn't even get a chance to react, she is gone so quickly.

It seems that Deli Girl has a load of friends, but no one that runs in any of Jay’s circles. Deli Girl seems to like to talk, but never to Jay. It’s sad, but Jay can even recognise her voice now, despite never speaking to her directly. Her voice is lovely; quiet and smooth with some sort of accent, New Yorker possibly? Jay hears that voice spit more verses at the back of his class; he hears that giggle when it accompanies a wave, one time hears her singing during a music workshop. Jay can’t get enough. He sees her nattering away with a really short guy with dreads who is covered in tattoos. She catches Jay’s eye and gives him another sweet wave, but continues talking to her friend.

Jay gives a small smile in return and makes his way up the corridor. Perhaps she doesn’t need any more friends.

*

Jay doesn’t see Deli Girl for maybe 3 weeks, and he finds that he misses her. Not that he’s admitting it to anyone – how can you miss someone you have never spoken to? But he feels strange, not feeling her presence for such a period of time. When he next sees her, she is slumped against a bench near the Life Sciences building. Her pink beanie is back and it is pulled low over her eyes. Jay’s heart jumps and he raises his hand to wave automatically, but he notices that her eyes are red and filled with barely contained tears. Her hand is clenched around her phone and her lips are pressed together tightly. Jay finds himself walking towards her without even realising. Even in her state of distress, she is still beautiful. 

Jay stops just in front of the bench and Deli Girl raises her head when she hears someone approaching. Their eyes lock and she blinks at him. The action causes some of the glistening tears to roll down her cheeks. She sniffs and wipes at her cheeks with her sleeve.

Jay doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know what to do. He offers her a sad smile and then digs into his backpack. His mum had always encouraged him to carry tissues, you never know when you might need them, and he sends a silent prayer of thanks her way. He pulls one out, puts it in his pocket and hands the rest of the pack to Deli Girl. She lets out a rueful chuckle and lifts a tissue to her eyes.

Jay reaches out, tweaks her cheek softly and turns to walk away. He knows she needs to be alone right now.

*

Two days later, Jay is back at the Life Sciences building, waiting for his class to start. He was really going to have to start getting serious with his modules, as a 9PM ‘History of Gangsta Rap’ lecture isn’t the best use of his time and tuition fees. He is sitting there, wondering whether it will be Snoop or Dre covered in class today, when a steaming cup of coffee is placed in front of him. He glances up to see Deli Girl hovering above him. She looks shy and sheepishly holds up about half a dozen sugar packets and an oatmeal cookie. She raises her eyebrow in question and Jay smiles and nods. He’s pleased to see that the blinding smile has returned and she places the sugar packets and the cookie neatly next to his cup, before turning and leaving the building.

*

Jay doesn’t see her for another week after that, but he can’t sit in that Gangsta Rap class again without remembering that sweet cookie and the even sweeter smile that came with it.

*

Jay feels like he is almost going crazy without catching another glimpse of Deli Girl, and then one day she is just there, right in front of him. She is at the deli of all places, sitting by the window with her coffee and sandwich. Her dark hair is glossy underneath the spring sunshine, her dimples sharp and happy when she catches his eyes and gives off her bright smile again. He’s just come in to start his shift and finds himself frozen in front of her table. 

Jay feels like he is sick of waiting. He wants to get to know her; her name, her phone number, if she wants to get drinks with him some time and just see where it goes from there.

So Jay stands up straight, puffs up his chest. He ignores the fact that his shift has technically started and he hasn’t got his apron on yet. Ignores the encouraging fist pump ChaCha is sending his way. He clears his throat, walks straight over to her table and sits himself down in the seat opposite her. If possible, her smile gets even wider. 

Jay swallows, trying to alleviate his suddenly dry mouth. “Uh, hey. I’m Jay, Jay Park.”

Deli Girl lets out a bright laugh, and it sounds like music to Jay’s ears. “Jay Park, what took you so long? I’m Nicki, Nicki Minaj.”


End file.
